2014 Super Rugby is going to be a brutal tournament, as always, but with the Lions back in the competition many are holding their breath as to how the Jozi boys will do. This competition requires a few critical aspects or structures to be in place and I am not sure if the Lions comply with these aspects.
Firstly, you need to have a depth of quality players or, as we sometime say, game breakers. These are players who have the magic to turn on the fire and make things very difficult for the opponents. The depth is critical as the competition takes place over 16 weeks and injuries can creep in quickly, leaving teams with drips and drapes to compete at high level. The problem facing the Lions is where do they find quality players if every player is already signed with other franchises?
In a sense SA Rugby is to be blamed for this situation the Lions find themselves in, because if they can stick to rugby competition structures, decided on at AGM’s and Presidents meetings, the Lions relegation would not have taken place. Now, once again, SA Rugby wants to tamper with the Currie Cup competition! Why? Is there nobody in SA Rugby who has the ability to manage these aspects? Joe public is fed-up with this poor rugby management in SA. This is why the stadiums are running empty!
Victor Matfield makes his return to actively playing rugby again. Victor will bring some magic back to the Bulls team as his experience and leadership was gathered over many years. You need senior players like Victor especially in a crucial position such as lock. Lineouts and scrums form the basis for attacking strategies in rugby and experience is critical. We hope Victor can sustain his condition and remain injury-free, which I have no doubt will be the case.
The Bulls will need to impress their supporters this year, as their new kit, camouflage, made some waves already. Yes, the anti-bull supporters will use this as jokes, but the serious loyal supporters will surely see it as a war dress for their team. We hope the Bulls do well, as Bulls supporters tend to be very grumpy when their team loose, or is this all rugby supporters? Next week we will look into the Cheetahs and Stormers squads for 2014.
